Case Western Reserve University undergrad identifies new species of praying mantis (slideshow)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Riley Tedrow came eyeball to eyeball with a praying mantis in Africa last year, the Case Western Reserve University undergrad didn't know that he was about to win a trifecta.

He first found an unknown species of mantis that came to be called Dystacta tigrifrutex (bush tiger) because the ground-dwelling female hunts like a big cat. Then he found a winged male of the same species. And finally the female gave up her egg cluster.

A year later Tedrow, of Wauseon, Ohio, would be the lead writer of a peer-reviewed article published recently in ZooKeys, an open-access online scientific journal.

The discovery occurred at night when the researchers were using a so-called light trap that drew nocturnal species.

"I was circling at edge of the perimeter, walking very slowly in a ravine looking at the ground at eye level," the third-year undergraduate said. "I took a closer look, and first thought I saw an amphibian, then I recognized it as wingless female. I collected her in a vial and I excitedly ran to (the leader of the expedition)."

"What makes this cool to me is that I was involved with the entire process from A to Z, to see the project from the outset to the end," Tedrow said Wednesday. "I collected the specimens by hand. We had the female, the winged male and then to have the egg case, that led to an extremely thorough description."

With one glitch.

Ants ate away the nether regions of the male, Tedrow said. The specimen was mounted in an open box to dry, and ants marched right out of the jungle and had a picnic of their own.

The specimens were complete enough, however, to lead to a solid conclusion that this was an unknown species of mantis.

Tedrow worked closely with Dr. Gavin Svenson, curator of invertebrate zoology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and adjunct professor at CWRU, who led the expedition to Rwanda. At first they thought Tedrow had found a Dystacta alticeps, which is common throughout Africa.

According to synopses from the university and the museum, Tedrow and Svenson made 21 measurements of the mantises' bodies and their coloration. What would become known as the bush tiger was a third to half the size of D. alticeps.

Svenson called Tedrow's achievement extraordinary.

"There are very few undergrads who participate in a research program to the extent that he did, who can go into the field, collect specimens themselves, observe, come back then work on them, looking up the history, the literature, the translations, then compare the specimens with other species, and write a paper and submit it for peer review,'' Svenson said.

Svenson will lead another team to Rwanda next month. Tedrow is part of the team. Svenson will stay for two and a half weeks then go on to another project. "I trust him (Tedrow) to go back to Central Africa then leave him there for an extra two weeks," Svenson said.

A lot of the research was underwritten by the National Science Foundation, Svenson said, and Tedrow's summer work is covered by CWRU's centralized office for undergraduate research, also known as the SOURCE Program.

Tedrow, who is studying evolutionary biology, explained why the mantis is important to his discipline.

There are only about 2,500 known species of mantis worldwide, compared to 400,000 species of beetle -- and 35,000 species of longhorn beetle alone, he said.

The extraordinary diversity of shape, size, color, predatory strategies and adaptations within the small number of mantis species "can teach us a lot about evolution," Tedrow said.

They are also a great teaching tool because "they are fascinating creatures. People seem to hold a reverence for them that they don't have for other insects," he said. "If you are holding one in your hand and moving from side to side, it's turning its head and tracking you."

Svenson said the belief that the new species may be indigenous only to the mountain where it was found creates an incentive for the government of Rwanda to conserve the area, which is a national park.

Dr. Evalyn Gates, executive director and CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, said the collaboration on the project exemplifies what is special about University Circle.

"We are fortunate to be among the great institutions in University Circle, which provides a rich and dynamic environment for science and research," said Gates. "Our close relationship with Case Western Reserve University has fostered strong partnerships and innovative collaborations that benefit both students and researchers.

"Case students have unique opportunities to work with our curators and collections, and spend time in the field with Museum researchers. At the same time, our curators benefit from synergies with Case faculty and students -- and they enjoy working with talented Case students. Science also wins. These partnerships have resulted in exciting research publications in top scientific journals."

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